Tag: events

2014 was a pretty eventful year for me – I had 2 book releases (Earthwalker and To lean on falling Men) and a promise for a third. What I mean by that is I had finally finished my first ever dystopian which had taken 6 months to write and edited it profusely for a few months. I had constant rejections until I was accepted by a known publishing house. All was good for a while. My book was to be released in August 2014 and I was really enjoying the editing process. I had a good relationship with my editor and things were looking up.

Then one morning I received an email from the CEO of the company informing me the rights had reverted back to me and my book was returned. What on earth had I done? Apparently I had refused certain edits with my editor (which I hadn’t) and my book wasn’t YA when they had in fact signed me up knowing my MS was New Adult.

I was furious with this company’s behaviour and disappointed. I had wasted all this time corresponding with them and refusing other offers. Though there was a silver lining. The book had extensive edits and 100% better than before, so I kept plodding along. After a few more months of rejections I ended up submitting to my current pub who accepted after reading the first 3 chapters. I was happy the book had found a home as it took all my blood, sweat and tears to finish it. Though I was still bitter with the original publisher. I dug deeper and discovered this company is known for cutting ties with authors if sales weren’t successful.

With all this drama going on, I had started a new job and began writing my next WW2 WIP Unspoken. Things were finally looking up. But as usual life gets in the way. I quit my job after having a pretty traumatic experience and put my WIP on hold.

My passion for writing wilted. I fell into a dark place and even questioned if there was even purpose to write anymore. Who was this person I had become? I found work pretty quickly again and was finally happy. I continued writing my WIP while preparing for my next release To Lean On Falling Men.

In July, I lost my job (go figure) and fell into my seventh month of writing my WIP. It was proving to be the longest length of time to finish it and I was wondering if it would ever be complete. During this time, I started research on my first sci-fi novel just to give my head a break.

In October, Unspoken was finally finished it’s first draft! I couldn’t tell you the weight that was lifted. It was hindering me – I couldn’t go on without finishing this book.

The events of the year was something I never anticipated. They tested and challenged me and made me a better person and writer. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger – it was truly my mantra for 2014. As the year came to a close, I felt I had accomplished a lot.

Unspoken is now finished, ending its beta stage and currently in submission. I hope to find a good publisher or even an agent. For a nice end of year surprise, I received a check from my publisher with a surprising amount!

I am very hopeful for 2015 and hoping it will be a successful year. Have a prosperous 2015 to you all!